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Friday, November 13, 2009

Butternut Squash Tagine with Pistachio Couscous

There's nothing The Gastronomer appreciates more than coming home to a stellar meal after a grueling day at the office, so I'm always on the lookout for simple, delicious recipes for weeknight dinners. Our subscription to Cooking Light (a Christmas present from my mom last year) has been an excellent resource for this. To be honest, this one was pushing it in terms of intricateness (I'm not the most efficient cook--see the time estimates accompanying each post), but it was a great opportunity to finally use our unopened cumin and paprika, and it turned out fantastically.

Bring chicken broth to boil in a small saucepan. Add couscous; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Stir in grated lemon rind and pistachios.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)Estimated Start-to-Finish Time: 30 minutesActual Start-to-Finish Time: 2 hoursSubstitutions: I left out the chicken and doubled the butternut squash, and I left out the turmeric because we didn't have any.

Statement of Purpose

Despite being incompetent with a knife, incapable of multitasking, and generally lacking all semblance of culinary instincts, every so often I bravely step into the kitchen and attempt to produce a three-course dinner. These are generally all-day affairs, fraught with danger and near disasters. When the end product is a success, I am often too tired to eat it. Luckily, my wife has a deep appreciation for home-cooked meals and heaps praise upon my creations whether they deserve it or not. In light of the stupendous efforts that went into these meals and my astounding inability to recall what I have made after a few months time, I recently decided it would be worthwhile to keep a record of my gastronomical adventures. This blog won't contain much text--if it's captivating prose you're after, check out gas•tron•o•my. However, rest assured, if a recipe appears on this blog, I made it, and I thought it was tasty enough that I might want to make it again. Enjoy.